In the Shadows
by Fred Dumpling
Summary: Darla is in the Shadowlands, a place equivalent to purgatory. There she meets an old acquaintance, and together they fight for redemption and the hope of an unlikely ticket to the happy place. DISCONTINUED.
1. The Way of Things in the Shadowlands

**In the Shadows**  
  
Disclaimer: You know what I'm going to say: Numfar and his minions own all. Do I ever say anything different?  
  
A/N: Know what? I had this really long Author's Note planned explaining the idea for this series, but it was more like an essay, so I'm just going to put that on my Her Own Show clique. Darla's in the Shadowlands, the place between heaven and hell, and she runs into an old acquaintance. This would be an actual series, like with episodes, but I'm not good at writing long, so short pieces. I'll let you fill the gaps yourself.

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**Chapter One: The Way of Things in the Shadowlands**  
  
She walks briskly. Her high-heeled pumps tap softly against the cold stone ground. One hand grasps the ornate hilt of a two-edged rapier, ready to for combat at any moment.  
  
A shriek rings out.  
  
Her pace quickens. Her hold on the rapier tightens. She rounds a corner. There she sees a man assaulting a young woman. The woman shrieks again. The man grins.  
  
Her blade cuts clean through his neck. A trail of blood jumps from his throat, following the blade, then falls, dappling the ground with crimson stipples.  
  
The head rolls off, screaming as it hits the ground. It continues to scream, wide-eyed. It watches as its own body falls thud on the ground.  
  
The young woman stands frozen for a moment, then darts off, shrieking once more.  
  
Her savior mumbles incoherently in annoyance, then continues on her way.  
  
It isn't long before she realizes she is being followed. She continues walking so that her stalker will not know, then when she feels him - or her - getting closer, she whirls around and strikes, only to have her blade deflected by another, much to her surprise.  
  
And yet, more surprised is the one who was following her. This throws him off, giving her the chance to strike again. She takes it, but he parries her easily. His eyes are wide with recognition, and she wonders what he is so shocked about.  
  
Her question is answered when he asks, "Darla?"

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A/N: Aww... Don't you just love cliffhangers? I do. I'll put the next part up eventually ... But only if I get enough reviews! Enough is like two. Or five, depending on my mood. So ya. And yes, all the chapters are going to be this short, or shorter. I might even do one that's a 100 word drabble. I probably will. 


	2. Last Memories

A/N: I know I said I was going to put the Author's Note on my Her Own Show clique, but the clique isn't finished, so you'll have to wait if you want to read my rant. Or go to my LiveJournal, because I posted it there.  
  
Imzadi - Thanks for reviewing. :D Of course you'd think it's Lindsey, but as much as I love Lindsey, I rarely write about him. It could be Angel. He uses a sword quite often. It could be Wes. He's made some really bad choices. It could be some other person who knows Darla that I made up.

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**Chapter Two: Last Memories**  
  
She has to think a while, search her memory, before she recognizes the man before her. "Lindsey?"  
  
(But it is Lindsey. :P)  
  
She would have recognized him in an instant. There had been times when she'd think about nothing but him, remembering every bit of his appearance, wishing she could see him again and release all the passion bottled up inside. But he looks different now. His hair is longer, and he's more muscular. He's let a bit of hair grow on his chin. He's still so beautiful.  
  
Her hands clench around her sword, but she lowers it, and he does the same. "I- How- When did you- How long have you... been here?" she asks him. She isn't sure what she wants to say to him, and is amazed that she was able to get any words out.  
  
"Hours, I think. It's hard to keep track of time."  
  
"It's easier when it's day time."  
  
"I wasn't aware that there was a day time here, nor was I aware that there would be such a lack of torture," he replies, looking around at the tall grey cliffs and the clouded night sky. Not a single star shines through the wispy atmosphere.  
  
Darla looks at him. "You think this is hell, Lindsey?"  
  
He looks back at her. "Isn't it?"  
  
She pushes past him. "Don't flatter yourself. You're apparently not as evil as you think."  
  
Lindsey isn't sure how to respond to this, so he just turns around and follows her.  
  
Without turning around to face him, Darla asks, "How did you die?"  
  
Lindsey hesitates for a moment, then gives her a name, "Angel."  
  
"Angel doesn't kill humans."  
  
"He didn't seem to reluctant about giving you and Drusilla that massacre."  
  
This stops Darla in her tracks. Now she turns towards him. "Massacre?"  
  
"At the wine cellar, remember?"   
She turns back around and continues walking. "No."  
  
"You forgot the massacre?"  
  
"No, Lindsey, I never knew about the massacre. That was after Drusilla sired me. I didn't have a soul." Once again, she looks at him, spreading her arms apart. "What you see here is my soul. What you are is your soul. I don't remember anything that happened after Drusilla sired me. - After you brought Drusilla in to sire me."  
  
Lindsey looks away. The last memories Darla has of him are of him indirectly killing her. He'd been selfish. He'd wanted Darla walking, talking, moving so that she could be with him. But now, as she stands before him, he realizes that he ruined her. He should have fought or refused the order or something. Hoping to convince both her and himself, he gives the excuse, "You were going to die anyway."  
  
She shakes her head. "I was given a second chance. A chance to die the way I was supposed to." Lindsey spots a gleam in her eyes. Tears. She tries to blink them back, but without much use. "You took that away from me. There have been times when I'd think about nothing but you, remembering how you looked so ready to take my life, wishing I could see you again so that I could spit on you, or scratch your eyes out, or anything to release all that rage and resentment."  
  
Lindsey feels a knot form in his gut. He whispers, "I thought it would be over. I thought I could release the pain. Save you. There was no way I could have known that your soul would still be here, along with all that agony. Why didn't you tell me? Why did you tell me that you were just gone?"  
  
"I didn't remember." At the look of surprise on his face, she continues, "To prevent anyone from spilling their guts about the Shadowlands, souls have no memories once they reach the surface. They use the memories of their brains. After I was sired by the Master, I came here, completely unaware of what I was doing as a vampire. Then when Wolfram&Hart brought me back, I could remember my physical memories, being a vampire, but not the memories of my soul."  
  
"...So you hate me?"  
  
"I hate you."  
  
The words burn into him. He decides to try one last time. Third time's a charm, he thinks to himself. He looks up at her and tries not to flinch at the look on her face, and says, "I'm sorry." He repeats louder, "I'm sorry. Is there any way I can make this up to you?"  
  
Darla stares hard at him and seems to consider. "Walk with me."  
  
And he does.

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A/N: Wow. That was pretty long. I know "beautiful" is kind of a weird word to describe Lindsey. I prefer "hot," but "beautiful" seemed more Darla-ish. What did you think? Again, please review, or I ... probably will put up the next chapter, but I like to wait until I get at least one review. So please? 


	3. How to Kill a Dead Person or at Least Re

A/N: There's a reason I get into Lindsey's head more than Darla's. I know this is supposed to be about Darla, but Darla's always been sort of mysterious, whereas Lindsey's more outspoken and easier to read. Darla's always so sure of everything, when Lindsey isn't, so it's more fun to get into his head. Plus, even though I love Darla so very much, I love Lindey about ten times more. :P So if I focus on Lindsey too much, I apologize. But I'll be doing that in chapter five. I'll try to even it out some, but no guarantees.

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**Chapter Three: How to Kill a Dead Person (or at Least Really Piss Him Off)**  
  
As it turns out, Darla's exceptionally skilled at hiding her hatred. If one were to watch her walk with Lindsey, each with a sword in hand, one might think they are good friends, partners, or possibly even lovers. She treats him much like she always did, but knowing what lies beneath the surface burns.  
  
"How did you find me?" she asks.  
  
"I followed the screams. Got curious. Saw you decapitate that guy." Lindsey makes a face. "He was still screaming."  
  
"You can't kill a dead person. When you cut their heads off, their bodies just fall. The heads, on the other hand, keep screaming, somehow. I guess souls don't need windpipes or anything like that to have a voice. Then they try using their teeth to drag themselves back to their bodies. The flesh and bones melt together, but sometimes they don't position themselves straight and end up walking around with crooked heads."  
  
"Why'd you chop his head off anyway?"  
  
"He was raping a girl, or about to."  
  
"We have heartbeats," he points out.  
  
"Yes, but if we get stabbed through the heart, or they get torn out, it doesn't really do anything except cause a lot of pain. Decapitating a person and kicking the head far away from the body is the closest thing to killing you can do. Well, I suppose you could crush the head and body into little bitty pieces, but the thought of it makes me a little sick."  
  
Lindsey reminds himself that Darla's human now, then wonders if she ever thought about killing him, but decides not to ask.

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A/N: So I'm sure there are about a billion ways to torture someone in the Shadowlands, since they can't be killed. You really could just rip someone's heart out over and over and over. You could also tear it in half while it's still in the person's chest over and over and over. You could poke someone's eyes out over and over and- You get the idea. So review please!  



	4. Trivial Matters

A/N: There's not much in this chapter but a little explanation of things, hence the title. It really just links chapters three and five.

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**Chapter Four: Trivial Matters**  
  
It occurs to him that he doesn't know where they're going, so he asks.  
  
"My cave," she answers. "I'm tired."  
  
Lindsey isn't, but doesn't argue. He wonders about her living in a cave. How could Darla live in a cave? She's always been somewhat glamourous. It just doesn't seem right.  
  
At last, they reach a large tunnel in the side of a mountain. It's just the right height for Darla, but Lindsey has to duck a couple inches. For once in his life, he's grateful that he's a bit shorter than Angel. To his relief, it's actually warmer inside the tunnel than out. After a short walk, the tunnel opens up to a large room. Lindsey's surprised, like he has been so many times since his arrival to the Shadowlands, at how nicely furnished it is.  
  
Darla laughs when she sees the expression on Lindsey's face. "Lindsey, honey, we're not in hell."  
  
An orangish glow from six wall lamps lights up the room. A large wardrobe stands against the wall. A red velvet rug lies on the floor beside a single queen-sized bed. Lindsey looks at the bed. He then looks at Darla to see that she's also looking at the bed.  
  
"I'll sleep on the floor," he offers.  
  
She smirks at him. "I don't mind sleeping with you, you know. I've slept with a lot of men. Many of them paid me."  
  
"But I do mind."  
  
Darla's smirk fades, but she doesn't push it. She walks over to the wardrobe, sets her rapier on top of it, and says, "Don't look."  
  
Lindsey obediently turns around, remembering a time when he would have jumped at the chance to sleep in the same bed at Darla or to see her undress, but those days are long passed. He has another woman possessing his thoughts, and thinking of her brings him close to screams and tears.  
  
...But after a moment, Lindsey does sneak a furtive glance Darla's way. He is only a heterosexual human male, after all.

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A/N: I'm really sorry about how much the next chapter is focused on Lindsey. I really am, but... Too bad.  



	5. The Last Time He Cried

A/N: Lots of Lindsey in this chapter.

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**Chapter Five: The Last Time He Cried**  
  
She kisses him. Her kisses trail down from his ear, down his neck, to his collar. As her fingers work the buttons on his shirt, he pulls her in for another kiss, and another. She moves down to make trails on his chest with her tongue, then stops abruptly. She screams. Lindsey looks down at his chest and sees the two bullet holes oozing blood.  
  
Lindsey awakens with a pained expression on his face. He looks around, remembering where he is, and how far away he is from Eve. He doesn't even know whether she's still alive or wandering the Shadowlands by herself. Whether she's on the "surface" or just around the corner, she feels a trillion lightyears away.  
  
He looks down at his chest. The wounds are gone, and his shirt is clean. He stares up at the ceiling, trembling, but not from fear.  
  
Darla rolls over on the bed and looks down at the man on the rug. He doesn't see her staring. She studies his face for a moment, then asks, "When was the last time you cried?"  
  
Her voice startles him a bit, and he looks at her. Then the question sinks in and he thinks about it. "I'm not sure," he replies. "I guess it was when I was a little kid and got a scraped knee or tripped."  
  
"You've never cried because you were sad?"  
  
"You mean other than being sad because I scraped my knee?" He studied the cracks in the cave ceiling. He said quietly, "I didn't even cry when my sisters died."  
  
"How? How did they die?"  
  
"The flue. Claire was just an infant, and Winnie had just turned two. I was four at the time. Claire died first. Curtis and I were playing in the woods when Winnie died. I didn't even care. I hadn't gotten close to either of them." His voice cracks a little. "I didn't even know them. Sometimes I wonder how they would have turned out if they'd just gotten the chance."  
  
"You didn't cry."  
  
"I didn't cry. - I don't know how to anymore."

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A/N: Review, tell me what you liked or didn't like or loved or hated or if there were any spelling errors or whatnot or just something like "I read your story. It was existent." just so I know you read it. Please?  



	6. The Road to Redemption

A/N: In case you're wondering, all that stuff in the last chapter and this chapter are made up. Nothing's true except that Lindsey had six siblings and two died during flue season. I got that info from "Blind Date".

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**Chapter Six: The Road to Redemption**  
  
Darla chooses to ignore this statement. "What about the rest of your family? They got their chance. How did they turn out?"  
  
"Well, my parents are both dead. Good riddance to my pathetic father. Curtis was never too happy with the way I'd decided to live my life. Brian still loved his big brother, but then again, he was never too bright. I think Curtis was trying to turn him against me, but he wouldn't. I really don't know what happened to Adrian. I think he went off to New York to seek his fortune or something like that."  
  
Darla settles back onto the bed. "If I'd gotten my chance, I wonder how I would have turned out."  
  
Lindsey knows she's referring to her being sired again. Hoping to avoid diving into that subject again, he asks, "What about your family?"  
  
"Mmm... It was so long ago, I barely remember. I had two sisters, Abigail and Bethany, and an Aunt Catherine. It's odd; I remember their names, but I don't remember my own original one."  
  
"If it also began with a D, you have the first four letters of the alphabet right there," he says with a smile.  
  
"If you'd been named with a D, you and your brothers would have the first four letters, too." Then she sobers. "They never got their chance."  
  
"My brothers?"  
  
"My sisters. My aunt. I killed them all."  
  
"It wasn't you."  
  
"No, it wasn't ... But I want to apologize to them anyway. In order to do that, I need to get where they are." She looks down at Lindsey. "The road to redemption is a bloody and difficult one. There's the threat of complete annihilation of the souls of anyone who takes a wrong step, but it could get us where everybody wants to be. I'll accept your apology for taking away my chance if you help me give my apology for taking theirs."  
  
He looks at her. "How do you know it's going to work?"  
  
"I don't," she admits. "But if there's the possibility for redemption after death, then I'm going to go for it."  
  
"How?"  
  
"On the surface you'd save the world. Here you'd save the Shadowlands. Every so often, someone slips into the Shadowlands instead of going to hell. These are only the most powerful of demons and warlocks. There's a way to banish them to where they belong, but it's not going to be easy."  
  
"And there's the possibility for a ticket to heaven."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Alright."

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A/N: (Insert plea for review here) Thanks.  



	7. Angflauhgdean Ticket to Heaven

A/N: Help. I need a beta reader for this story. There's more information about it in my bio.

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**Chapter Seven: Angflauhgdean Ticket to Heaven**  
  
With a smile, Darla reaches under her pillow and brings out an amulet. Lindsey sits up for a better look. It at first glance appears to be made of clay, though when inspected closely, is obviously made with something much stronger. A symbol is carved into it and traced with black ink. It hangs from a simple thin rope. It looks to be some cheap item that can be bought at any trinket store, but Lindsey knows it must be much, much more valuable.  
  
Darla takes his hand and puts the amulet in it. "This," she tells him, "is our ticket to heaven."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
She rolls her eyes. "An amulet. What did you think?"  
  
"I know it's an amulet, but what does it do?"  
  
"It acts as a compass. When someone wears it and says the hocus-pocus word, a little light appears on it pointing in the direction of the nearest being who shouldn't be here. You can do spells, right?"  
  
He shrugs. "I've done a few."  
  
"Then put it on."  
  
He obliges, asking, "Where did you find this?"  
  
"On my pillow."  
  
"On your pillow," he repeats incredulously.  
  
"I figured the Powers must be trying to tell me something." She reaches over the head of the bed to get something off the nightstand: a piece of paper with unworldy writing. She hands it to Lindsey. "Can you read that?"  
  
He takes one look at it and says, "It's Taurok. Angflauhgde."  
  
Just as Darla said, a small glow appears on the amulet. It circles the edge a few times before locking onto a location. When he moves the amulet, the glow slides on the edge to another position so that it's still pointing toward that location.  
  
Darla smiles. "Let's go."

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A/N: I seem to have a thing with weird words. Angflauhgde, Ahovql, Gnupk, Ghavfke, Achlooke... But usually I just use them in The Sims. Hehe. Please review, yada yada yada. Thank you very much.  



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